Key holder



Dems, 193s -R.E.TYVA-D ,1 ,7 6..

- KEY HOLDER Filed April 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RAYMOND E. TYVA ND v I I BY- 3, R. E. TYVAND ,1

KEY HOLDER Filed April 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 INVENTOR. RAYMOND E. TYVAN'DV F1 117 BY 4 J TTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to a key holder and more particularly to a key holder adapted for pocket use.

An object of this invention is to provide a key 5. holder that is cheap, dependable, easily constructed and at the same-time efficient.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder that can be easily carried in the pocket in a small space.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder wherein the keys are exposed, but at the same time shielded when nestled.

Another object of this invention is to provide a key holder that is flat.

Another object of this invention is to provide a keyholder wherein the keys may be identified Without referring to the key itself.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

Fig. l discloses a side elevation, viewing the key holder from the broad side, showing a left hand model.

Fig. 2 is another side elevation, viewing the key holder from the narrow side.

Fig; 3 is an exploded view.

Fig. 4 discloses another modification.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View taken substan- 30.v tially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken substan tially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 with the keys removed;

Fig. '7 is an exploded view of a receptacle for the key holder.

Fig. 8 discloses aperspective View of the receptacle or case for the key holder.

Fig. 9 is an exploded view of the receptacle disclosed in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 discloses a spring member that may be used in connection with the disclosures in Figs. '7, 8 and 9.

In the device disclosed herein the keys are pivotally mounted upon a. pair of resilient plates or leaves. By this arrangement one side of the keys when retracted is shielded by the plate. The keys are held in this position by a retaining member, the head of which cooperates with the adjacent plate to form clutch members frictionally engaging the sides of the keys. Whenever it is desirable to use one of the keys it may be swung or oscillated frictionally about its pivotal mounting from its nestled position past an obstruction into extended position, where it is ready .foruse.-

After usage, the key may be retracted so as to occupy a small space along the side of one of the supporting plates. These plates are preferably of a resilient material and arched when released, the resiliency of thematerial being utilized to clutch the key.

The ends of the pivots supporting the keys are preferably contoured so as to identify the different keys, that is, one head-may be conical, another square, a third concave and a. fourth knurled. This permits identification of the keys bymerely feeling the head of the pivot.

The keys and the key holder may be pocketed in a suitable receptacle preferably made from a reenforced strip of materialreversely folded upon itself so as to form a pair of pockets, one of which opens in one end, the other in the opposite end.

Referring to the drawings, the key holder includes a pair of arched'or curved plates lil and'll. These plates are preferably alike in construction, each provided with rounded ends, so as to eliminate all sharp corners. As may best be seen by referring to Fig. 3, the plates iii and I2 are curved so that the ends are deflected. 'After placing the keys M in position, four in all, the ends, together with the keys, are brought together and held in position by fastening members including screws It and E8 and their respective nuts 2i! and 22. The ends of the curved plates cooperate with the heads of the fastening members to frictionally engage the keys Hi. The fastening members and the plates cooperate to form clutch members, clutching the keys and frictionally holding the keys in either the nestled position or in the extended position.

For the purpose of identification the head of the screw it may be knurled, the head of the screw it may be concave, the head of the nut 28 may be square and the head of the nut 22 may be conical, so that by feeling the shape of the head the corresponding key may be identified.

Theleaves or plates l5 and I2 are provided with obstructions 2%, which constitute a raised portion in each side of the leaves It and W. This obstruction prevents the free extension of the keys. In order to extend the key it is necessary to manually actuate the key over the obstruction. The obstruction 2B aids the clutching members in holding the keys in the nestled position.

In the modification disclosed in Fig. 4, the leaves H3 and if have been mounted within a loop 39 having a round cross sectional area. This loopfillfis preferably made frornmaterial which is sufficiently heavy to form anobstruction for the rotation of the keys by their own weight. The loop 38 is preferably supported by cars 32 integral or fixedly attached to the leaf I]. The loop 38 is provided with sufiicient flexibility to permit the rotation of the keys manually. The keys in this modification may be identified by the selected heads, much the same as shown in connection with the preferred embodiment.

One loop 32 may be integral with the leaf H and the other loop 32 integral with the leaf 18, so that the two pieces are identical. Instead of four keys, only one, two or three could be used. Likewise, instead of mounting keys at both ends, one end of the plates could be fixedly attached, leaving the other end for the support of keys.

With this key holder in the palm of ones hand, the individual instantly recognizes the particular key he desires to use by the feel of the various identification signs which he has come to associate with the keys. It is a very simple and convenient procedure to rotate the key holder in ones hand or turn it end for end. When one has identified the desired key by the feel, he slips his thumb down the medial portion of the shaft of the key until the tip of the thumb slides over the key positioned in the central depression area, depending upon the type of the key holder, and from this position pushes the end of the key laterally with his thumb in a clockwise direction over the margin of the obstructions.

The key passes over approximately an arc of 180 until it is completely extended and in line with the plates proper, in readiness to be inserted into the lock, attention having been given to the original proper position of the key, such that when the key is completely extended it is in the correct relationship to the look so as to be inserted without further rotation of the device. After the lock has been opened, the key is retracted by a sweeping stroke of the thumb in a counter-clockwise direction, so as to nestle the key upon the central portion of the spring leaf and within the periphery of the spring leaf where it is held frictionally by the clutch members until it is used again.

As part of the public has been accustomed to the use of a leather case for the keys, the key holder and the keys described above may be enclosed in a suitable case such as shown in the embodiment disclosed in Fig. 8.

A case it made from leather or other suitable :lemfble material is provided with two pockets or compartments, one of which. has an opennig 42 shown at the top of Fig. 8 and the other has an opening 44 extending along the bottom of Fig. 8. This case may be made from a reenforced cont nuous strip of material, as best seen in Fig. 9. This strip of material includes three portions 50, 52 and 54 folded in reverse relation, so that portion 52 forms a partition wall between the two pockets or compartments.

Portions 58 and 5d are provided with notches 53 located near the ends. A pair of resilient reenforoing members are used to reenforce the end portions 58 and 58. Each of these members 88 is provided with a rectangular window or opening, so that the legs may be positioned in opposite notches 58. After positioning the reenicrcing members 58 in the notches 58, as shown in Fig. 9, the portions 58, 52 and 54 are folded and sewed along the edges at 62. The flap 64 is sewed in position along one end of the recepiacle and encloses the end of the reenforcing member 88, so as to conceal the same. In addition to concealing the end of the reenforcing member, the flap 64 holds this reenforcing member in position. The tab 66 extending from the portion 50 is provided with the female member 68 of a snap having the male member 18' attached to the outside of portion '54.

The keys and key holder may be placed in either pocket or two key holders may be enclosed by the receptacle, one inserted into the pocket closed by the tab 68 and the other enclosed by the other pocket formed between portions 52 and 54 and at all times open.

The keys and their holder may be dropped from either pocket, first by opening the tab 86, if its associated pocket contains the key holder, and then applying a slight pressure to the opposite edges adjacent the opening of the pocket containing the key holder. This causes the ends of members 60 to curve so as to separate the openings of the pockets. The pocket associated with the tab 68 may contain the keys seldom used, and the pocket associated with the open ends may hold the keys frequently used.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, only one resilient member 68 has been used. The legs of this member 68 are positioned in medial notches 56 found in the center portion 80. The adjacent foldable portions 82 and 84 are provided with a flap 86 and a tab 88 respectively. The flap 86 encloses a leaf spring 98 which is completely enclosed when the flap 86 is sewed into position along the side 82 in much the same manner as the flap 64 is sewed into position as disclosed in Fig. 8.

The tab 88 extends from foldable portions 92 and 94. These portions are adapted to enclose a spring 96. The portion 94 is folded against the rear side of portion 84, as viewed in Fig. '7, and sewed into this position. The portion 92 is then folded against 94 and sewed into position so that the spring 98 is completely housed between portions 92 and 94.

The tab 88 may be laced into suitable slits 98 in the side of portion 82. Thus, the tab 88 may be used to enclose the end of the pocket formed between the portions 82 and 84. The end of the pocket formed between portions and 82 is not provided with a closing tab; but is held closed by the cooperation of the adjacent end of resilient member 60 and the leaf spring 98 enclosed by the flap 86.

Although the preferred modification of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts which generally stated, consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, in the novel parts, combination of parts and mode of operation, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A key holder having the keys exposed and adapted for use in a pocket, including a pair of resilient plates one juxtaposed upon the other, means for mounting two pairs of keys exposed upon the outsides of said plates, one pair being located on one side of one of the plates on the side opposite the other plate so as to be nestled in opposite directions when not in use, said keys being exposed for independent manual manipulation, the other pair of keys being mounted in like manner on the other side of the other plate, and means for frictionally holding the keys in position upon the plates.

2. A key holder having the keys exposed and adapted for use in a pocket, said key holder ineluding a pair of resilient plates one juxtaposed upon the other, one of said plates having one of its ends connected to the corresponding end of the other plate, the opposite ends of the plates having apertures registering with each other, said opposite ends being deflected, and a threaded stud cooperating with a headed nut to hold the keys against the surface of the resilient plates, one key being located upon one side of one of the plates and the other key being located upon the opposite side of the other plate, the heads cooperating with the adjacent ends of the plates in clutching the keys so as to hold the key in any adjusted position.

3. A key holder having the keys exposed and adapted to be carried in a pocket, said key holder including a pair of curved resilient plates juxtaposed one upon the other, said plates fitting the hand, means for pivotally mounting two pairs of keys on the outer sides of the plates, one pair being mounted in surface contact on opposite ends on one side of one of the plates so as to be nestled in opposite directions when not in use, the other pair of keys being mounted in like manner on the opposite side of the other plate, the curvature of the plates being utilized to resiliently hold the keys in any adjusted position, each of the keys being available for rotation independently of the other keys into extended position by the thumb of the hand holding the key holder by proper orientation or rotation of the key holder in the hand.

4. A key holder having the keys exposed and adapted to be carried in a pocket, said key holder including a pair of curved resilient plates juxtaposed one upon the other, said plates fitting the hand, means for pivotally mounting two pairs of keys on the outer sides of the plates, one pair being mounted in surface contact on opposite ends on one side of one of the plates so as ,to be nestled in opposite directions when not in use, the other pair of keys being mounted in like manner on the opposite side of the other plate, each of the plates having obstructions tending to hold the keys in nestled position, each of the keys being available for rotation independently of the other keys into extended position by the thumb of the hand holding the key holder by proper orientation and rotation of the key holder.

5. A key holder having the keys exposed and adapted tobe carried in a pocket, said key holder including a pair of plates juxtaposed one upon the other, at least one of said plates being resilient, said plates fitting the hand, means for pivotally mounting two pairs of keys upon the outer sides of the plates, one pair being mounted in surface contact on opposite ends on one side of one of the plates so as to be nestled in opposite directions when not in use, the other pair of keys being mounted in like manner on the opposite side of the other plate, each of the plates having obstructions tending to hold the keys in nestled position, each of the keys being available for rota tion independently of the other keys into extended position by the thumb of the hand holding the key holder by proper orientation and rotation of the key holder.

RAYMOND E. TYVAND. 

